The Federal National Council (FNC) has approved amendments to a federal draft law on combating communicable diseases, guaranteeing that employees prevented from attending work during an epidemic or pandemic will keep their full salary and their leave entitlements.
Under the amendments, employers must prevent any employee or worker who is infected with a communicable disease, suspected of being infected, or identified as a contact during an epidemic or pandemic, from attending the workplace if their continued presence could endanger the health of others.
The period of absence will not be counted against the employee’s legally prescribed leave, and the worker will continue to receive their wage or gross salary for its duration, based on a certificate issued by the competent health authority.
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How the amendments came about
The amendments were passed during the council’s 13th session of its third ordinary term of the 18th legislative chapter, chaired by Speaker Saqr Ghobash at Zayed Hall in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, July 8, in the presence of Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of Health and Prevention.
The FNC had originally approved the draft law in March. It was later returned to the council with new additions and amendments introduced by the Presidential Court in coordination with the Cabinet, aimed at broadening the scope of the law and covering additional cases.
The FNC Speaker referred the new provisions to the council’s Health and Environmental Affairs Committee for study. The committee met on July 6 to review the additions, discussed their justifications in light of circumstances that may arise when the law is applied and enforced, and approved them in the form presented.
What it means for workplaces
The provision places the obligation squarely on employers, who must act once a certificate is issued by the competent health authority rather than leaving the decision to the worker. It draws on the UAE’s experience during the Covid-19 pandemic, when questions arose over whether quarantine and isolation periods should be treated as sick leave or unpaid absence.
The draft law updates the existing federal legislation on combating communicable diseases and forms part of a wider legislative framework for preventing, detecting and responding to outbreaks in the country.
Source: Khaleej Times